Don’t Ignore these Warning Signs of a Heart Attack

When it comes to a heart attack, what you see on motion picture may be a whole lot different than what happens in real life. You may recollect having seen scenes of a man grasping his chest, getting choked and succumbing to the ground- and everyone knew he’d had a heart attack without the slightest shade of doubt. In real life, while some heart attacks may be sudden and severe, most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. In most cases, people ignore these mild signs, confuse them for symptoms of other conditions (many times they are afraid to confront the fact that they might be suffering a heart attack) or wait too long before calling for help. Knowing what heart attack symptoms could be like can help you immediately identify warning signals and call for help. The first thing to do is call 9-1-1 right away. Emergency medical services if availed at the right time can save a precious life.

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Why does a heart attack happen?

When the arteries that supply blood to the heart get narrowed or blocked by substances like fat, cholesterol and plaque, the blood flow to the heart gets severely reduced or completely stopped. With no access to oxygen-supplying blood, heart function gets affected and a heart attack ensues.

Heart Attack symptoms in men

While at times, suffering from a heart disease may lead to heart attack, on other occasions a heart attack could be the signal for underlying heart problems. Whatever be the reason, the following heart attack signs should not be ignored:

Undue fatigue and palpitations: It may be a heart attack when you suffer from unusual tiredness as if you’re just back after a race, when you really haven’t budged an inch. Palpitations (when your heartbeat goes too fast or you feel your heart skip a beat) could also signal heart attack.

Dyspnea: You may sense difficulty in breathing or your breathing may not be as effortless an exercise as it normally is. Dyspnea is precisely labored breathing or difficulty in breathing. You may experience shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

Chest pain: Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the middle of the chest. This could last for several minutes or return intermittently. The feeling is often described as a heaviness or pressure experienced upon the chest as if an elephant had been laid across the chest. The discomfort could also feel like someone squeezing your chest, like tying it up with a rope or fullness.

Discomfort in other body parts: Arm pain is often associated with heart attack and so is pain in the back, neck, jaw or stomach.

Heart Attack in women

The most common symptom in women is also chest pain. But women are more prone than men, to experiencing other symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, and discomfort/ pain in other parts of the body, lightheadedness, fatigue and fainting. Women can sometimes suffer heart attack without experiencing chest pressure.